Horace Trubridge


Horace Trubridge is a trade union leader and former musician.
Born in Shoreham-by-Sea as Nigel Trubridge, he learned to play the clarinet and saxophone and played with professional jazz bands while still at school. He joined a number of bands, including an early incarnation of Rocky Sharpe and the Replays, before becoming a founder member of the doo wop revival band Darts in 1976, under the name Horatio Hornblower.
Darts had a string of top ten hits, mostly cover versions. Trubridge wrote many of their original numbers, including the number ten hit "Get It", which was credited to him under his real name. He also appeared in the musical "Yakety Yak", which was written by the group. The group split in 1985, and he then played with Hitlist and Lovely Money, both of which saw success on a smaller scale.
Trubridge later worked for the London Borough of Hackney as a Music Development Officer, in which role he set up HAMMA, a music label which released records by local acts. He began working for the Musicians' Union in 1990 as a Music Business Advisor, becoming the union's London Officer in 1997 and Assistant general secretary in 2003.
In 2017, Trubridge was elected as General Secretary of the Musicians' Union, defeating Kathy Dyson. He also joined the General Council of the Trades Union Congress.